Publishing Ethics
All parties involved in the publication process are expected to follow high standards of ethical and professional conduct. This applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the Editorial Board.
Authors must ensure that each submitted manuscript meets the journal’s submission requirements and reflects honest, transparent, and responsible research practice. When ethical concerns arise, the Editorial Office follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
Plagiarism
Original work onlyThe journal accepts only original manuscripts based on the authors’ own work and written in the authors’ own words. Any use of another person’s ideas, text, data, or results without proper acknowledgement is considered plagiarism. The same applies to the unauthorised or uncredited use of images, figures, tables, charts, or other copyrighted materials.
All submissions are screened with similarity checking tools, including Crossref Similarity Check and StrikePlagiatism, to support the assessment of originality. Limited similarity may be acceptable when it reflects standard terminology, properly quoted material, or correctly cited sources. If needed, authors may be asked to rephrase or improve referencing. Suspected plagiarism is investigated in line with the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
The Editorial Office may inform authors about problematic overlap using descriptions or visual evidence. Full similarity reports are not provided, as this is not standard practice in many international editorial workflows.
Concerns and complaints about plagiarism in published articles
The journal takes all allegations seriously and investigates each complaint before deciding on further action. The journal is not obliged to discuss investigations with third parties. Anonymous complaints, or complaints submitted in an abusive or aggressive manner, may be declined.
Duplicate submission and duplicate publication
Manuscripts submitted to the journal must be original and must not have been published previously. Submissions must not be under review by another journal at the same time. If duplicate submission or duplicate publication is confirmed, the journal may reject the manuscript or take post publication action in line with the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
Data falsification, fabrication, and manipulation
Fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, or manipulation of data undermines research integrity and is unethical. Visual materials must not be altered in a way that could mislead readers or distort interpretation.
If the Editorial Office has reasonable grounds to suspect that results are inaccurate or unreliable, authors may be asked to provide supporting evidence, documentation, or access to underlying data when possible and appropriate. If the concerns cannot be resolved, the journal may reject the submission or take post publication action in line with the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
Authorship and contributor responsibilities
The journal applies authorship criteria aligned with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. An author is a person who meets all of the following conditions
- made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data
- drafted the manuscript or revised it critically for important intellectual content
- approved the final version to be published
- agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work, including the investigation and resolution of questions related to accuracy or integrity
Individuals who do not meet these criteria should not be listed as authors and may be acknowledged in an acknowledgement section, when appropriate.
In multi author submissions, the corresponding author must provide a clear description of each contributor’s role. The journal encourages the use of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy to describe contributions transparently.
Please note that tools based on artificial intelligence cannot be listed as authors or co authors. This position follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics on authorship.
Use of tools based on artificial intelligence
Any use of tools based on artificial intelligence must remain under meaningful human oversight and responsibility. Authors are accountable for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the entire manuscript, including any parts supported by such tools.
Permissible uses may include
- language editing and copy editing under author control
- assistance in organising references and formatting them according to journal requirements
- translation for publication purposes
- generating or refining visualisations of the authors’ own research data or results, with full transparency
If tools based on artificial intelligence were used in a way that contributed to the manuscript text, figures, or other research outputs, authors must disclose this in the acknowledgement section, including a brief description of how the tool was used and identification of the tool and its version.
The Editorial Office may reject a submission or take post publication action if content is found to be fabricated, fraudulent, or misleading, including cases linked to inappropriate use of tools based on artificial intelligence. The journal may also apply relevant international recommendations on classifying such use in academic manuscript preparation.
Conflict of interest
All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any relationships or circumstances that may be perceived as influencing the research, the peer review process, or the editorial decision. This includes, in particular, financial, institutional, and personal relationships, as well as other potential competing interests.
Authors must indicate sources of funding and potential conflicts of interest in the submission documentation. If an editor has a conflict of interest regarding a submission, the journal will ensure independent handling of the editorial process. If a member of the Editorial Board submits an article, that person does not participate in the editorial process for their own submission.
Conflict of interest cases are handled in line with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
Ethical principles in research
Authors must follow relevant international and national standards related to research ethics, including data protection, privacy rights, and responsible handling of sensitive information. Research involving human participants must include a clear statement confirming that informed consent to participate was obtained, where applicable.
If a manuscript includes information that makes individuals identifiable, authors must confirm that written consent for publication was obtained, where required. Identifying details that are not essential should be removed or anonymised unless their inclusion is necessary for scientific relevance.
The Editorial Office may request documents confirming ethical approval or informed consent from participants where justified. The Editorial Board acts in line with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
Confidentiality and peer review
The journal uses a double anonymised peer review procedure. All parties must maintain confidentiality and must not disclose the identity of authors or reviewers.
Authors must ensure that the manuscript does not contain personal identifiers or metadata that could reveal identity. Particular attention should be paid to self citations and wording that may make authorship identifiable. The Editorial Office may remove identifying information before sending the manuscript for peer review, and may also ensure that reviewer comments provided to authors do not reveal reviewer identity.